Neck-yoke



(No Model.)

A. S. BAILEY.

NECK YOKE.

No. 299,199. Patented May 27, 1884.

N. PETERS, Phmcrhlhugnphur. Washmflou. a Q

ATBNT FETCH..-

ALVA S. BAILEY, OF

use

BOSSVILLE, ILLINOIS.

NIECK YOKE.

Application filed March 5, 1884.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALVA S. BAILEY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Rossville, in the county of Vermillion and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Necl -Yokes; and I do declare the following to be a full, .clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it app ertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to neck-yokes for vehicles; and the novelty consists in the construction, arrangement, and adaptation of parts, as will be more fully hereinafter set forth, and specifically pointed out in the claims.

The objects, in general, of the invention are to provide such a construction as shall securely lock the neck-yoke to the pole-coupling against possible slipping, to provide convenient and efficient means for the attachment of the breaststraps to the neck-yoke, to provide against the excessive wearing of the breast-straps in the couplings, and to provide for equalizing the strain upon horses of uneqal strength, all of which I accomplish by the mechanisms illus trated in the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification, and in which Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly in section, showing in dotted lines a manner of releasing the pole-coupling; Fig. 2, a vertical section of a portion; Fig. 3, a detail showing the breast-strap coupling, and Fig. 4 a modification.

Referring to the drawings, in which like letters of reference indicate like parts in all the figures, A designates the neck-yoke, having a cap-piece, B, removably secured thereon by screws or the like, as shown. This cap-piece B has a recess, 12, which receives the bar 0 of a coupling, 0, in which is hung the pole-ring D. The yoke is of largest diameter at the center, tapering therefrom toward either end, and the space within the coupling 0 is so arranged that when the cap B is in place, as shown in full lines, the said coupling cannot be displaced from its engagement with the recess 11. When for any reason it is desired to remove the coupling, however, the cap B is disengaged (No model.)

| and passed toward either end of the yoke, where the decrease of diameter of the yoke will allow the coupling to be forced to one side until the bar 0 is disengaged from the recess 12. I consider this feature of locking the yoke and coupling against accidental displacement, and of disengaging them without removing the cap entirely from the yoke, important. The ends of the yoke are tenoned to receive the hookbands B. Each of these bands E is secured to its tenon a, and each is provided with two hooks, e e, the hook 6 being at the end and the hook 6 being nearer thepole-coupling. This arrangement allows the driver to adjust the strain by increasing or decreasing the leverage, and thus accommodate aheavy, strong horse and a light horse in the same team.

F designates the breast-coupling, composed of a ring, f, cut away, as shown at f*, and a stirrup, f, in which is journaled a frictionroller, J. The breast-strap or holdback is passed over this roller f through thejstirrup, and the coupling F is designed to be left on the strap, the ring being engaged with the hook e or 6 when in service, and disengaged when unhitching the animals from the vehicle.

The construction of the ring f and hook is such that the ring may be applied to either, and that it will not disengage accidentally. The roller f allows the breaststrap to play throughv the stirrup and prevents the abrupt wear at one point.

In lieu of the pole-ring D, a leather tag, H,

the coupling 0 is widened laterally and provided with downwardly-projecting lugs g g, having apertures for the reception of a bolt, G, that passes through the bight of the tag M. One of the apertures in the lug g is screwthreaded for the reception of the screwthreaded end of the bolt G, whereby said bolt may be removed and the tag H replaced when worn.

As shown by dotted lines in Fig. 1, the coupling O and pole-ring Dhave lateral play,whereby the tongue or pole of the vehicle may swing from side to side without moving the neckyoke.

may be employed, in which the lower end of I am aware of Patent No. 257 ,440, of 1882, in which a plate hadlugs and recesses which re ceived duplex rings, the said rings being placed between the lugs before the plate was placed upon the yoke, and such construction for locking the pole-coupling against displacement is not sought to be covered in this application.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. In combination with the yoke A, tapering in either direction from the center, and removable cap B, having asingle recess, b, the pole-coupling 0, having bar 0 and pole-bearing, the said coupling being locked in said recess 1) except when the cap is moved toward one end of the yoke sufficiently to allow the disengagement without entirely separating the cap and yoke, as set forth.

2. In combination with a neck-yoke having hook-bands, as E e e, and with the ordinary breast-strap of a harness, the coupling F, having ring f, stirrup f, and friction-rollerf adapted to be kept on the said breast-strap, and the whole to serve as and for the purpose set forth.

- 3. In combination with the yoke A and removable cap 13, having recess b, the pole-coupling G, having removable screw-threaded bolt G and tag H, substantially as herein shown and described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two.witnesses.

ALVA S BAILEY.

' Witnesses:

JOHN W. WEsrrALL, WILLIAM H. SELLERS. 

